Alone
by Bang Rowdyruff
Summary: A deviation of the path Evolution of Colors would've taken. A "What if" story about how Cereza's life would be different if Luca had never been born. Oneshot and not a canon event to the Evolution of Colors story. First of a few whatifs.


**So now that I'm far enough in on Evolution of Colors, I decided to do a short little one-shot WhatIf story. Be prepared for a series of them.**

 **In this case, it's "what if Luca had never been born."**

 **Dark themes ahead. Do not continue if you want a feel good story. This is the first and only warning.**

* * *

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" cried a soft voice. The owner held her head down, bent in a bow towards an older Octoling woman. The Octoling's eyes were slanted in a glare, but weren't at the girl herself. Instead she glared at the knocked over stands and the clothes scattered about. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to her head. "I tried to stop them! I really did!"

"I told you to stop apologizing, Cereza. You didn't do anything wrong. I don't expect you to take on five of them on your own." Cereza looked up, dull eyes on the verge of tears as she locked eyes with her boss.

"But it's my fault! The only reason they did what they did is because they found out I work here. Just like all the others…"

"I keep telling you, you can't blame yourself for other people's actions," the Octoling scolded. Cereza held her head down again.

"But they'll keep coming…Especially since-" the Octoling firmly placed a hand on Cereza's shoulder. The hybrid jumped, body shaking slightly as she looked up once again. The Octoling smiled down at Cereza, making her tear up more.

"I said don't worry about it. I'll just file a report and clean up the mess. No big deal." Cereza let her head hang down again.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Look. It's nearly closing time. Why don't you head home and I'll see you tomorrow?"

"What? But I need to help clean! It's my fault they-"

"It's _NOT_ your fault. And you're just letting them get to you if you start believing it is. Now go home and try to do something about those bags under your eyes, and I'll see you tomorrow." The Octoling said. Cereza stared up at her elder for a moment before lowering her head again.

"Yes ma'am…" She said turning to grab her things. She grabbed her wallet and jacket from behind the checkout area and walked towards the door. She paused and looked back at her boss as she straightened and picked up mannequins and display items. She paused for a second to shoo Cereza out and the hybrid complied.

That was the forth time the store had been ransacked by Cereza's bullies this month. She thought the bullies would have died down once she was done with school. Now that she was older, things only got colder. Her life didn't take that path that she had hoped for and she wished she could've been warned or that somebody told her. Tears threatened to fall even now as Cereza thought of her boss. She was so nice. Too nice even. Why didn't she just fire her? Cereza would understand. Then she wouldn't have to stay in late just to fix her store.

Cereza hugged herself as she began the walk home. All four of her tentacles curved forward, draping around her face like a makeshift curtain. She fiddled with the sleeves of her long sleeved shirt and raised her shoulders, holding her jacket to her chest. It was the middle of summer and yet she wore layers upon layers. She kept her head down as she walked. Don't make eye contact. Don't get in anyone's way. Disappear. It was easier that way. Doing anything else encouraged others to antagonize her.

She raised her hand to her head, pressing against her temple to try and relieve the migraine she had festering for a week. She was so tired. Her legs felt heavy and her arms ached and throbbed under her sleeves. The migraine worsened at the sound of the Inkopolis news jingle.

She turned her head upwards to one of the many jumbo trons scattered throughout the city. Callie and Marie appeared on screen, giving their little intro and announcement on what time it was. There was a screen wipe as the duo announced the stages. Cereza noticed the subtle sways and vocal cues of what they said. They were playing a recording, meaning Callie and Marie were actually still out on a mission with her parents.

She let out a sigh of disappointment as she continued walking. That just meant her parents would at best be gone another day. At worse, a week. At least they check in on her constantly. She spent a lot of her walk home worrying. Should she tell her parents she was being harassed at work? Of course not. She remembered a time Kelp got injured during a mission and her dad was so worried he couldn't even poor a cup of coffee. If she makes them worry during an important mission they could get killed. Besides, her boss already said she was gonna report it to the cops. So she walked in silent worry, crossing the street whenever possible and when there was a group walking towards her.

Eventually she reached the plaza, ignoring any and all standing around the Turf War arena. The sun was going down and the place was filled with the big kids and teams that either stayed out pass curfew or didn't have one. She continued to walk until she heard someone call out in her direction.

"Hey!" She flinched, and her eyes widened before she raised her shoulders and began walking faster. She didn't know who it was but she knew she had to avoid the situation as quickly as possible. "Wait! Cereza!" She paused. No one used her name. Curious, she slowly peaked over her shoulder, her tentacles taking up the majority of her face.

Walking towards her was Spyke. He wore an expensive looking poncho with an even more expensive looking necklace around his throat. He carried a large drink from apparently, the store he had just exited as he stared at the hybrid.

"Hey, you in a rush, love?" He asked, stopping just short of Cereza and looking down on her.

"Oh…No, I just… I thought…I'm sorry…" Cereza said tilting her head down in shame. Spyke tilted his head at her reaction.

"Where ya been? I haven't seen ya in years. Specially 'round these parts," Spyke asked. Cereza peeked up from beneath her tentacles. Spyke looked down on her with those sharp eyes, just as piercing as ever. Yet, they were nicer than a lot of the eyes that looked at her.

"I…just haven't been around lately…w-working and all…" Spyke gave a small smile.

"Ya still Turf War? I can upgrade your gear for ya. I'm retired now so I won't charge ya nothin'," He said.

"N-no thank you. I don't Turf War any more…I haven't in awhile…" Spyke lost his smile.

"You wot mate? Wot happened to the littl' girl begging me to reroll gear to get better?" Cereza merely shrugged her shoulder, sinking further into her self made hole. Spyke stared at her for a while as she said nothing. "You wanna…join me for a drink? My treat?"

"Oh…no thank you…I should really be getting home…I don't wanna bother you…" she said taking a step back. Spyke didn't say anything else for awhile.

"Well, if ya change your mind." He extended his hand, giving Cereza a sheet of paper. Cereza adjusted her sleeves and gingerly took it. "We can talk. Sometimes it helps." Cereza nodded and took another step back.

"Th-thank you…"

"I'm…sorry, by the way. I was there during the audition." Cereza stiffened, sight going blurry at the thoughts. "It was extremely cruel for them to do what they did."

"It's fine…I'm fine…I'll be sure to call you," she said turning her back and leaving. Spyke watched her for a moment before turning back the way he came.

"Looks like I may need to make a call of my own…"

Great. Now Spyke was worried. She could see it in his eye. She should've just accepted the offer. Maybe sit in the corner of the restaurant or something. She was so stupid. Lost in her thoughts she ended up bumping into someone.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"I-I'm sorry…" She said stepping back, giving the person a wide girth.

"Maybe if you'd move those damn tentacles out of your face you could see better," the man hissed. One of the girls in his squad snickered.

"Honey be nice. Isn't she that hybrid? Obviously she's hiding her face from the world. We should be thanking her for that," The squad chuckled darkly as Cereza could feel the tears bubbling up again.

"Now if only she could do that without touching anybody." The squad laughed again as Cereza power walked off. The squad's laughter made her head ache worse. She willed away her tears and continued forward, now hyper aware of her surroundings. She dodged around other Inklings and Octarians as she was on the verge of sprinting.

She paused when she heard the declaration of new weapons. Her curiosity peaked again as she looked up. Ammo Knights had posters of new weapons of Sheldon's creation. Her eyes scanned over the display poster. Clash Blaster, Dualie Squelchers, The Goo Tuber. Her eyes went back and forth a few times before locking on the Goo Tuber. Was that a charger? It looked like a gardening hose. Cereza looked at it a bit longer and swallowed.

The bell by the door jingled as Cereza made her way in. The helmet sitting on the counter sprung to life. The little horseshoe crab gave a loud acknowledgment to the person walking in the shop.

"Hello! Welcome to Ammo Knights! Oh! Cereza! It's been awhile since you've been here!" Sheldon greeted, jumping down and walking closer to the hybrid.

"Y-yeah…it's been awhile…"

"I'm so glad you're back! Getting back into Turf Wars I hope!" Cereza was silent. "Anyway, I have the finest selection of ink based weaponry! I can give you the run down on the latest if you'd like!"

"Oh, no thank you. Just, how much is that Goo Tuber thing?" She asked.

"Ah yes. The Goo Tuber. The latest in charger technology." Sheldon said walking to the shelf and picking up one of the weapons. "With its design, it allows you to hold your charge and re-position yourself for better sniping angles!" Sheldon said handing the weapon to the young girl. She studied it for a second, looking over how it loops over itself.

"It looks like it'll come loose easily."

"Oh but it won't! It'll stay together firmly for as long as you need. You take care of it, and it'll take care of you!" He said proudly.

"Okay. How much is it?"

"Hmm. Normally it's 13,400 coins, but to help you get back into the swing of things, I'll drop the price down to 8,000!" Cereza took out her wallet, digging through it to get the requested amount.

"I'll pay the full amount," she said. Sheldon looked at her confused.

"Really? That's kind of a big discount. Are you sure you don't want to accept it?"

"I'm sure. Just take it," she said. Sheldon smiled, taking the money and placing it in the cash register.

"Thank you for your business! I'm sure you'll give it a good home," he said proudly.

"Yeah…" Cereza said turning around to leave.

"Thank you! Please come again!" Cereza exited the store, holding her new weapon to her chest as she walked the rest of the way home. By the time she exited the train at her stop, the sun was already down, and the moon was bright in the sky, casting its glow on the world. Cereza reached her home, pulling out her key and quickly unlocking the door and entering. She locked the door behind her and stood there, basking in the darkness and silence.

She didn't know why she had bought the Goo Tuber. It was just sitting there looking so…useful. It was more of a compulsive buy than anything. She most likely won't even use it. She headed up stairs and dropped the weapon down next to the door of her room. She plopped down on her bed, arms covering her eyes as a few sniffles escaped her throat here and there.

Her head rolled to the side, locking onto the Squid Sisters poster that hung on her wall. Maybe she shouldn't have tried being like them. Maybe she wouldn't have been widely known for the cruel prank that was pulled on her. She was told the video was wiped from the internet but she knew how it worked. It was never truly gone. It was out there. The most embarrassing moment of her life saved to someone's computer waiting to be distributed at a moments notice. She knew that.

Maybe she shouldn't have given up on Turf Wars? At least she met people there. Maybe eventually she'd find someone who would actually be nice to her. And they could hang out, and just talk about nothing. Even have sleepovers since her parents were always gone. But that wasn't gonna happen. She still had bruises from being bullied by even her team during Turf Wars.

She gave up on both dreams anyway. So by default it would have been better if she hadn't tried to begin with. God her parents must be so disappointed in her. She quit everything. She let others bully her out of both of her dreams. Neither of them would step down to bullies. In fact both of them worked to fight against bullies. Their love had to be because they were inclined to by being her parents.

Maybe she wouldn't be such a disappointment if she was born a boy. Maybe she'd be more inclined to fight against her bullies at least. She sat up, taking her jacket off and throwing it on the coat rack. She rolled up her sleeves and ran her hand up and down the ragged skin of her forearm. It was ugly. They were more marks of her failures running up both arms. She had heard to just disappear so many times she figured she was doing the world a favor by trying. She couldn't even do that right.

Her head throbbed again. Her arm ached as she raised it to put pressure on her temple. She was so tired. In the distance she could hear laughter followed by muffled chatter. She thought of getting up and peaking out to see who was passing, but chose against it. It sounded like four or five people. Confirming how many there were would simply further point out how alone she felt. The only one home. The only one aware of how much she was hurting. The only hybrid.

Her eyes traveled over to the Goo Tuber leaning against her wall. She studied how it looped around itself in a wide circle. She swallowed, her neck adjusting itself to better push the worry she felt down into the depths of her gut. She stood up and retrieve the weapon, looking into what kept it together. It took a bit of strain and a bit of elbow grease but she managed to snap the thing apart.

She couldn't help but wonder if this would've been a weapon she could've used. It sounded useful, being able to store charge. She stretched the weapon out until it was plenty long enough. Her body moved on autopilot. When she finally gained her senses, her eyes widened.

The Goo Tuber had been fashioned into a noose, dangling tightly from the base of her ceiling fan. Her heart pounded as her mind whispered doubts and fears. She stepped back, looking at the makeshift noose as it presented her its challenge.

For awhile, she simply stared at it, her fist clenched and shaking at her side. Eyes still watering, she knew exactly what she had to do next:

Stand on the chair and tie the rope around her neck.

She took a step forward and paused. Could she really do it? Could she just disappear from her parents? Her aunts? No. She couldn't. She had to let them know. She had to leave them at least a small trace. She turned to her desk, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper scattered about it. She sat down, eyes begin to finally overflow with tears. She wrote a letter with her hands shaking wild,

 _Look at me now, are you proud of your precious child?_

But she scratched through that line. It sounded too cruel towards her mom and dad. She knew that her parents weren't the ones to blame. It was the world around her, too stuck in the old times to try and accept the unity her existence meant. Her parents always told her she represented the merging of the two races. Apparently no one wanted that.

The letter took about an hour of writing. She wanted to make sure she left all of the emotions she bottled up for seventeen years out to her parents. By the time she finished the letter, it was stained in tears, but she folded it neatly and sat it on her desk. She cleared out everything around it so that it stuck out more and shone her desk light on it.

She stood up, looking up at the mirror over her desk as her reflection stared back at her. She was so excited to show off her form when she took it. She thought she was pretty. Maybe not gorgeous, but at least a little attractive. But now she only saw herself as ugly. The scars, the bags, the dull look in her eyes. She hated it. She combed her hands over her face, pulling her tentacles back to see the full look of her figure. Disgusting.

To think she wanted to sing on stage. Oh well. She would've learned eventually. She tied her tentacles around, making a style similar to that of her idols. She tried to muster up a smile and copy their signature, "Stay Fresh!" in the mirror but couldn't even muster up the strength to do that. She turned around and stepped up onto the chair. She pulled the noose over her head, tightening it enough to lightly squeeze her neck.

She stood up on the chair and looked out at the moon. Just to think, it'll all be over soon. This was for the best. Her parents wouldn't have to worry about her. The pain of losing her would only hurt for a second. She was sure they could focus on making the world a better place. All those people who wanted her to disappear would have gotten their wish, and all of her pain would stop. The tears had stopped flowing and her breathing had slowed. Her fingers delicately traced around the necklace as she placed a foot on the back of the chair. She squeezed her eyes shut, and kicked.

The noose tightened. The gentle strokes of her fingers became a rigid grip as her airways were clenched shut. Her body gasped for air as it writhed about. Desperate gasps for air and wheezes filled the quiet house as Cereza struggled. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she took her final breath. It was all over, all gone, and she greeted death.

* * *

Cerata rubbed her eyes as she stepped out of her car. It was around 2 in the morning and she was beyond exhausted. Inkay remained studying case files with Kelp back at HQ. She would've stayed there and helped if she hadn't gotten a call earlier from Spyke. She was a tad worried when she tried calling both Cereza's phone and the house and got nothing. She opened the door and walked in.

"Cereza?" She called, taking her jacket off and heading towards the stairs. "I'm home darling. Are you here?" She yelled through the house. Silence. She ascended the stairs, stepping rather harshly as a sort of extra wake up call. "I got a call from Spyke earlier. He said you didn't look so good," she said as she turned on lights and approached Cereza's door. "Are you feeling oka-"

Cerata opened the door to Cereza's room. Her eyes widened and she froze. The only sound being the slight creak of the strain on the ceiling fan as it was slowly going back and forth. Cerata fell to her knees on the floor. Now nothing could take back what she just saw. The little girl that she raised was just hanging there. Her body pale and her face was violently bare.

She screamed. She screamed until her chest hurt and her voice went silent. Her hands shot to her face as if trying to hold together the very essence of her sanity. Her face ran rampant with tears as she peered through her fingers. This couldn't be real. This had to be a trick. She crawled up to her daughter, slowly pushing herself to her feet still sobbing. She stretched her shaking hands towards her daughter's face,recoiling before touching as if she'd break if she did. Cereza hung with her mouth agape, head tilted to the side and eyes purple and bloodshot .

Cerata backpedaled, shaking her head in denial and sobbing uncontrollably. Her legs gave out under her and she fell onto her rear. It became impossible to see anything more than the silhouette of her daughter through her tears and she could only sit there and hug herself. She rocked herself back and forth, body lurching with gags and sobs as she cried. She felt like she was going to throw up. Her face hurt and her heart ached as she could do nothing but tremble.

* * *

Inkay cursed under his breath. They weren't finding anything news breaking. Kelp sat across from him studying another file just as thoroughly if not as crossed. He returned his eyes to his work and continued looking through evidence and clues.

He couldn't focus honestly. He was really tired and really wanted to cuddle up with his wife. Maybe try again to schedule a dinner with Cereza. Work had begun to pick up some with a string of disappearances and he had to cancel a lot of them. His phone let out one long, continuous buzz. He quickly pulled it out, putting it to his ear without a thought.

"Hello?" Deep sobbing filled his ears and he was immediately on alert.

"Inkay," cried Cerata. Inkay jumped to his feet, heart already beginning to speed up.

"Cerata? What's wrong?! Did something happen?!" He asked, Kelp looking up in concern.

"Cereza, she…she just…" More sobbing. Inkay had pushed himself away from the table and was heading towards the door. Kelp's calls and cries of confusion landed on deaf ears.

"Honey please, what happened to Cereza?" Inkay was now terrified. He could hear his heart beating in his ears as he was jogging down the hallway.

"Just come home!" Cerata begged between sobs. Inkay was in a full sprint now, barreling through the hallways in reckless speed.

"I'll be there soon, just hang on," he said. Cerata cried louder and hung up. "Cerata? Cerata?! Damnit," Inkay cursed. He didn't bother getting his car. As soon as he got outside and noticed even a little bit of traffic, he began super jumping. Around eight super jumps later he landed in front of his house, exhausted and out of breath but he still ran forward. He slammed himself into the front door, figuring from the sound of Cerata's voice that that was more than an acceptable thing to do.

"Cereza? Cerata?" Inkay called through the house. He ran up the stairs, two at a time and called out for his wife and daughter. When he reached the second floor, he heard it. Cerata's crying. He ran into Cereza's room and froze. It was like all the air was sucked out of his lungs and replaced with ice. Cerata was on the floor, holding herself and rocking back and forth while his daughter swayed left and right in front of him. His head slowly shook.

"No…" He started, his own stream of tears starting to form as he took a step forward. "No..no, no no!" He chanted, running up to his daughter and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Cereza! Come on, baby, come on. Cereza, please!" he cried, shoulders shaking in sobs of his own. He lifted her the best he could with one arm and used the other to try and loosen the noose.

The task proved difficult from how numb his legs felt beneath him. The noose was tight, digging deep into the flesh of his daughter as he tried desperately to get it off. Efforts fruitless, he reached higher, grabbing the noose from above and trying to pull it down from the ceiling. It too was tied down tightly as Inkay couldn't see pass his tears.

"Come on you damned thing, come down!" He growled through gritted teeth. He ended up pulling the ceiling fan down from the ceiling. Even now he pulled his daughter to his chest, shielding her from the debris and taking the brunt of the damage. He barely felt it tho. He was focused on other things.

He fell to his knees, rocking back and forth and clutching Cereza to his chest. Without its support, Inkay was able to dig his fingers under the noose and throw it to the side. Cereza's neck was colored with a purple necklace and her eyes were still rolled to the back of her head as he stroked her face. He pushed her tentacles to the side of her head, tears rolling down his face as he begged.

"Cereza…baby girl, please," his breath shook as he looked between his daughter and his wife. Cerata crawled up to her husband still too shocked to actually touch Cereza. Her tears started to well back up. Inkay coming home and acknowledging the scene before her confirmed what she saw was the reality of the situation. Even with the confirmation, Cerata still couldn't bring herself to touch Cereza, like the scene wouldn't be true until she did. Inkay rocked back and forth, crying and holding his forehead against Cereza's. He'd kiss her forehead between sobs, the action he had done countless times felt foreign and new from the lack of warmth in his daughter. She had no business being this cold. This clammy. She had _no_ business being this _unmoving._ Her lungs didn't breathe and her heart didn't beat, but Inkay's did. His were working more than they had ever worked in his life. The beating of his heart made his ears throb between tears and his lungs were so desperate to get air that they tripped over themselves.

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay," Inkay whimpered into Cereza's ear. "We'll set you up in a pod, and everything's going to be fine." Inkay held Cereza's head to his chest, body shaking with the strength of his sobs. "R-remember, we-we still have to v-visit the islands. We'll g-get you a new swim-suit, and we'll…and we…oh god why?"

For a long while the two sat there, Cerata's sobs and Inkay's pleas the only sounds in the room. The family rocked back and forth, holding their lost member, faces wet with tears and throats dry from sobbing. Cerata eventually looked up towards the desk, sore eyes aching from the only light in the room. She brought herself to her feet as Inkay held Cereza against his chest and rested his head on hers.

Cerata noticed the note gently folded on the desk. She picked it up as if it would bite her. She crouched down besides Inkay and placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, eyes bloodshot and puffy. She handed him the note and the two held opposite sides. They held the note and unfolded it with care. All they did was stare, how could this be fair? They started reading as the tears roll down their faces.

 _Dear Mom and Dad,_

 _I'm sorry but this world is just not my place._

 _I tried for so long to fix this, and fit in, just to realize this world is full of sin._

 _There's nothing for me here, I'm just a waste of space._

 _I have no reason to stay here as this awful race._

 _It's a disgrace, I was misplaced, born in the wrong time, and in the wrong place._

 _But it's okay though, cause you'll see me soon._

 _You'll know when your time has come, just look at the moon as it shines bright, throughout the night._

 _And remember everyone's facing their own fight._

 _But I can't deal with the pain, I'm not a fighter._

 _You'll make it through the night, just hold each other tighter._

 _And let the world know that I died in vain, cause the world around me is the one to blame._

 _And I know in a year you'll forget I'm gone, cause I'm not really something to be dwelled on._

 _That's what they used to tell me, all those kids at school._

 _So I'm going by the law: Majority Rules._

 _My presence on this earth is not needed any longer._

 _And if anything, I hope this makes you stronger._

 _You're the best friends, that I ever had._

 _Such a shame I have to make you so very sad._

 _Just remember that you meant everything to me,_

 _And to my heart you're the only ones who held the key._

 _Now it's time to go, I'm running out of space to write._

 _Yes I lost my fight, but please just hold on tight._

 _I'm watching over you, from the clouds above,_

 _sending down the purest and whitest dove,_

 _to watch over you, and be my helpful eye._

 _So this is it love,_

 _Goodbye._

* * *

The funeral was held a few days later. Being the only hybrid in existence, it was announced to the public, but Cerata and Inkay refused to let any attend aside from family friends. The media showed up anyway and Inkay was almost arrested from how violently he attacked them.

Callie and Marie sang songs to honor Cereza's dream while Annie and Spyke designed the coffin to capture the pop star aesthetic. It didn't rain that day, but the skies were gray and gloomy nonetheless. Aside from the singing and last words, the funeral was silent.

Inkay never got over it. He kept the note Cereza left them on his person at all times. It was often he'd be found just rereading it with eyes on the verge of tears. He felt so used. He risked his life to protect the people of Inkopolis _for years_ , and they couldn't even treat his daughter nicely. He blamed them for her death. He blamed himself for her death. The only ones he didn't blame for her death were Cerata and Cereza herself.

Cerata went into a deep depression. She never smiled and rarely spoke unless she had to give information and she didn't go out on missions nearly as often. Eventually Inkay couldn't take it any more. He couldn't walk around Inkopolis knowing just how badly the citizens treated his daughter. People walked around like everything was fine when they drove the apple of his eye to _kill_ herself.

He quit the agency not too long after Cereza's death. He didn't even bother packing his things. He just grabbed his family picture and walked out. When Cerata saw her husband storming out with a crowd of confused Inklings and Octarians yelling questions at him from behind, she simply got up and followed.

The two left Inkopolis, moving to a secluded area away from it all. They built a small house and mostly kept to themselves. Years passed and Shiro was the only one to find out where they went. He understood their pain and offered to go off the grid along side them. They declined stating that he still had a family he needed to care for. The couple did warn that informing anyone else of their location would forever ruin their friendship. Shiro understood that as well.

Before he left, Shiro shared with the duo the situation in Inkopolis. Some strange man rose out of the woodwork, bringing with him a small force of soldiers that overran the agency. This was three years ago and the city along with surrounding ones had been overtaken. There had been reports of strange Inklings and Octolings ruling the conquered cities and increasing in number, slowly creating an army. Cerata and Inkay didn't care. If this force did create an army and decided to further its territory, Inkay and Cerata would fight for their little lay of land. If they won, life goes on. If they lost, well,

At least they'd see their little girl again.

* * *

 **Aren't I just the worse?**

 **If it wasn't obvious this chapter was inspired by, and based on the song "Her Last Words" by Courtney Parker. Go check that out if you haven't cried enough.**

 **So in Evo I recently uploaded a chapter on why Cereza is so attached to her little brother. In a way, Cereza sees Luca as her lifesaver. He gave her a reason to look on the bright side and smile, even if it was fake for awhile. He showed her that she was not alone and his presence forced more interactions with her parents and inadvertently had her meet people who would later become her friends. She's so attached to Luca because she feels(and we now know) he saved her life.**

 **I hope I did a good job on showing how broken Cerata and Inkay were due to her suicide. Even more than the rest of the world, the couple saw their daughter as a miracle child. She wasn't really ever supposed to be born due to Cerata being an Octoling and Inkay an Inkling. But despite nature itself she was, so of course the parents would be ecstatic for her birth and crushed beyond belief on not only her death, but the cause. It's not that they are bad parents, just extremely busy. The have to looking into all the disappearances after all.**

 **Speaking of, I'd like to point out a little detail that may have been overlooked: in this story, Cereza is only seventeen as apposed to her 24 year old self in Evo. Also, the kidnappings are happening much sooner. Just something to think about.**

 **One final not so fun fact, back in Octo Colors, a thing mentioned a few times was how good Inkay was with telling a good lie, hiding his emotions, and just overall being good with words. So in this story I decided to bring that little tidbit back by having Inkay try _desperately_ to lie to himself that Cereza was gonna be okay. Just cause, you know. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story at least a little. Thanks for reading, review, all that good stuff. Until next time,**

 **Astalabyebye,**

 **Bang**


End file.
